Not everyone values history or the past in the same way. In the quotation books on my book shelves, for every quote that echoes “history is bunk” (from Henry Ford), I can find a “those who cannot learn from history are bound to repeat it” (from George Santayana).
I don’t know if you liked U.S. or World History in school, or whether you tend to agree with Henry or George. Me? I’m much more in the Santayana camp. And I'll tell you why. And then I'll give you specific ways to use your past experience and the past experience of others to become more effective, more productive, and even wiser.
In short, the past is a treasure chest filled with learning opportunities for our present and future. But only if we look inside. Here are seven ways to open up that dirty, unassuming, beat-up old chest to find and use the treasure inside.
Reflect on it
Oliver Wendell Homes, Jr. wrote, “When I want to understand what is happening today to try to decide what will happen tomorrow, I look back.” In order to gain value and insight from the past, reflection is a necessary first step. When we are unwilling, afraid, or too “busy” to look back, the value diminishes. The past opens its insight to us when we actually stop and look back at what has already occurred.
This could be how a meeting went earlier in the day. It could be how we reacted to an event that happened 20 years ago. Reflection knows no time period and has no statute of limitations. Your entire past, your actions, results, and feelings are all available if you choose to tap into them. The following are additional tools and approaches to do that most effectively.
Study it
Studying the past starts to feel like a history course, and it may be. Your goal however isn’t to pass a test or hold a bunch of dates in your head. Rather, your goal is to place yourself in the narrative to understand what was happening and what you can learn from it. This is true whether studying a famous leader, the arc of a nation, or the development of your industry. Studying in this way makes both the specifics and the context valuable. You also build a mental file of tools and approaches to make better, wiser, more informed decisions moving forward.
Replay it
Replaying a situation is different than just reflecting on it. Try walking back through the situation. Relive it, but with the knowledge and perspective that you now have after the fact. Use this hindsight education to think through what you might do differently or better in the next similar situation. This is like pre-creating positive future Deja vu moments!
Generalize it
The situation from your past might never occur in exactly the same way again. That doesn’t change the value of looking back. By reflecting on the past, we can find common threads. General components of situations that we can use to create lessons and ideas for the future. This is a great strategy when looking at historical events, the lives of other people, or case studies. Rather than looking for what doesn’t apply, identify the lessons that you can apply again and again. Generalized lessons are more applicable to a wider variety of situations.
Release yourself from it
There are some things in your past that you regret, feel guilty about, or wish you would have done differently. The fact is, however badly you feel, however desperately wish you could change it, it’s in the past. The page has turned. This may mean you have to forgive others or yourself. Let go of pain or guilt and keep (or find) the learning.
Reframe it
Reframing the past comes with the perspective we get from replaying it and releasing ourselves from it. While we can’t change our past, we can reframe the situation to serve us better in the future. Was getting fired a failure or a great learning experience? It could be both, or either one. The fact is - you were fired. How you frame and use that experience makes all the difference. This isn’t about denial or lying to ourselves. It is consciously using our past to help us move closer to the future we desire.
Use it
All the reflection, study, replay, generalization, and more is only valuable (intellectually or emotionally) when you use the lessons. In the end, the way to “productively learn” from the past is to put those lessons into practice now and in the future. (Tweet that!)
You have a past. All of the events, feelings, emotions and results are sitting in that treasure chest. It is my hope that this article helps you decide to open it, and explore with vigor and anticipation. The treasure is there, but you must look for it.
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